297. Before Maariv

Tefillah u’Birkas Kohanim 6:6

Relevant to the halachos in 6:5: the beginning of a haircut is when one is covered with the barber's cloth; the beginning of a bath is when one removes his undergarments; the beginning of tanning is when he ties on the apron in the manner of craftsmen; the beginning of eating for those who live in Israel is when one washes his hands; for those who live in Babylonia, it is when they loosen their belts; the beginning of a court case is when the judges wrap themselves in their talleisim and sit down. If the judges were already seated, it is when the disputants start arguing their cases.

Tefillah u’Birkas Kohanim 6:7

Even though maariv was not originally obligatory, one should not come home from work and say, “I’ll eat a little and sleep a little, then I’ll daven," out of concern that sleep may overtake him and he’ll end up sleeping through the night. Rather, one should daven first, after which he may eat, drink and sleep. One may have a haircut or go to the bathhouse before shacharis. The Sages only instituted a decree not to do so before mincha since that is when most people go to these places. Since doing these things in the morning is uncommon, they did not institute a prohibition about it.